The Tigers will probably carry seven relievers. Yasutomo Kubo, Shinobu Fukuhara, Naoto Tsuru, Kosuke Kato will likely take the first four sports. Yusuke Kawasaki, Masanori Fujihara, Kazuhito Futagami, and Yuya Ando are among the pitchers competing for the remaining three spots.

Fujinami participated in workouts and checked the mound at Jingu Stadium on Monday. He also sat next to Akihiro Fujii in the dugout during the team's exhibition game against Yakult. He returned to Osaka after the game.